Apparatus for accumulating and controlling loops in continuous strips



March 31, 1942.

J. ANDERSON APPARATUS FOR 'ACCUMULATING AND CONTROLLING LooPs IN CONTINUOUS STRIPS huh Rn, mm nn 3 Filed March 20, 1940 wh mm m Patented ar. 31,1942

APPARATUS FOR ACCUMULATING' AN CONTROLLING LOOPS IN CONTINU OUS STRIPS James L. Anderson, Closter, N. Y., assignor to Air Reduction Company, Incorporated, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application March 20, 1940, Serial No. 324,974 5 Claims. (01. arr-2.1) I

This invention relates to apparatus for supplying an endless strip to a machine or mill that operates continuously.

A continuous supply of endless strip is required for some tube forming and welding machines,

and for certain strip rolling apparatus. This invention is intended primarily for tube welding installations but is not limited to such use. In its broadest aspects,'it is an object of the invention to provide improved apparatus for supplying endless strip material continuously to any A coiled length ofskelp or strip material I from a roll I I is moved through leveling rolls I2 to a power shear I3 which is used to trim the forward and rearward end of each length of material to a uniform 'straight edge. After having its forward end sheared, each new length of material I0 is advanced through theshear I3 and brought into a clamp I5 which holds the forward end of the new length while cross-seam Welding apparatus I6.welds the new length of material ID to therearward end of a supply strip -20, held under the welding apparatus by a consuming apparatus which requires a continuous supply. v I

A more specific object of the invention is to provide an improved apparatus for accumulating a length, preferably a loop, of strip between the consuming apparatus and cross-seam welding equipment that intermittently connects new lengths of material to the strip. The loop is a 'reserve supply of strip that is used to feed the consuming apparatus while the end of the strip is stopped for connecting a new-length of material. Between the times that successive lengths of material are connected with the strip, the length of the loop'must be increased to include at least as much strip as is required by the consuming apparatus during the period of time required for the next connecting operation.

In accordance with one feature of the invention strip material, between cross-seam welding apparatus and a continuous forming mill or other consuming apparatus, is subjected to a constant deflecting force that builds up a loop in the strip while the strip is free to move from the cross-seam welding apparatus. The magnitude of the deflecting force is less than the tractive.

efiort of the feed rolls of the forming mill, however, so that When the end of the strip is stopped at the cross-seam welding equipment, the feed rolls continue to advance the strip in the forming mill and no change or adjustment of the defleeting force is necessary.

Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will appear or be pointed out as the specification proceeds.

In the accompanying drawing, forming part hereof:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammaticview showing a tube making mill embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged scale view of part of the apparatus shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the cross-seam welding apparatus of Fig; 1; and Fig. 4 is a sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

clamp 2i. 4

After the new length has been welded to the supply strip, and the supply strip has been fed forward until the rearward end of the coil II approaches the cross-seam welding equipment I6,

"a clamp 23 is operated to grip and stop the supply strlp and a roller 24. on a bell crank 25 is operated to deflect the strip and bring its rearward edge into exact position under the crossseam welding apparatus I6. The forward edge of a new coil of material is sheared and brought into abutment with the rearward clampededge of the supply'strip and then clamped in position by the clamp-I5.

Beyond the holding clamp 23 the strip passes to the loop accumulator which includes a long overhead cage 21 comprising I-beams 28, side members 29, and. bottom angles 30. The I- beams are supported by trusses-3| of the building in which the cage is housed. There are tie rods 32 (Fig. 4) connected to. and resting upon the I-beams 28. These-tie rods are attached to the side members 29.

- side members are connected by tie rods 33 that extend under and support the bottom ang1es30.'

Conveyor rollers 35 have axles supported'by brackets 31 fastened'to the tie rods 33. Uprights 39 (Fig. I) extend from one end of the cage 21 to the floor. These uprights support several rolls 4I44 over which the-strip passes at the regions where it changes its direction of travel. These rolls 4I-44 are of large diameter in order to avoid sharp bends in the strip.-

The strip 23 passes under the roll 4| and then The lower ends of the ward over the roll 43 and then around the roll M and forward to a forming mill i.

A cable 52 attached to the carriage so is wrapped around a winch 53 driven by a torque motor 54. There is a rheostat 55 in the motor circuit for adjusting the torque of the motor and the resulting constant pull of the carriage 46 on the strip 20. Except when the carriage 46 is near the rearwardend of its track and the upper run of strip 20 betweenthe roll it and carriage-supported roll 49 is short, the weight of the strip 20 causes the upper run between these rolls 42 and 59 to sag and at times contact with the lower run of the strip 20 which rests on the ccnveyer rollers 35.

Unless the strip 20 is held by one of the clamps 2i or 23, the torque motor 8 will cause the car-.

ly over the rolls 4|, 42, d9, 43, and M to feed rolls 51 of the forming mill 5i without any further increase in the length of strip between the cross-"seam welding equipment and the forming mill.

The tractive effort of the feed rolls 5'! is greater than the pull of the carriage 46 on the supply strip so that whenever the end of the supply strip is stopped for the purpose of connecting a new length, the reed rolls 5i continue to advance the strip at the same rate as before and the carriage is pulled back (to the left in Figs. 1 and 2) in spite of the force of the torque motor iii.

The length of the loop is sufficient to supply the feed rolls ti during the time required to connect a new length of material to the supply strip. As soon as the new length is connected and the clamps 2i and 23 are released, the torque motor will again accumulate a maximum length of loop by pulling the carriage it to the end of the cage 2i.

Beyond the forming mill St the strip material passes through a tube welding machine t3, and then through sizing and straightening roll passes to and to a motor-driven cut-err machine on that cuts the continuous tube (52 to the desired lengths.

Fig. 3 shows a self-propelled torch carriage 53 that runs on a track as located above and entending transversely of the strip tract: Ed is supported by a frame 65 that is part of the same frame on which the clamps and 23 (Fig.v l) are mounted. a welding torch (Fig. 3) is attached to the carriage and is by the carriage along the seam between the abutting end faces of the, supply strip and new length of material that is to be connected to the supply strip. The structure shown in 3 is merely representative of equipment for com meeting new lengths of material to a supply'strip and other equipment for the purpose can be used.

Fig. 4 shows the construction oi the carriage do with its supporting wheels er running on the I-beam 28 as a track. Guide rollers $8 at the lower end of the carriage rotate on vertical axes andcontact with the sides of the guide angles 30 to prevent the carriage Qt from swaying in the cage.

The preferred embodiment of the invention has been described, but changes and modifications can be made and some features of the invention can be used without others.

aarzose I claim:

1. In or for strip welding apparatus, a loopaccumulating and control device including a roller rotatable about a horizontally-extending axis and around which a strip passes with a reverse bend, a carriage on which said roller is supported, horizontally extending guides on which the'carriage moves, an end roll over which an upwardly extending run of strip passes to enter the frame, another end roll over which the strip passes to leave the frame after looping around the roller on the carriage, both of said end rolls being rotatable about horizontal axes and at least one of said end rolls being-in position to support a .run of strip that sags between that end roll and the carriage-supported roller, yieldable means urging the carriage to move toward the end of the guides remote from said end rolls with a force insufficient to remove all of the sag from the sagging run of strip, and other rolls under said end rolls-about which the strip passes from and to generally horizontal runs of strip at a level spaced from and below the guides on which the carriage moves. 2. Apparatus for controlling a loop of material between intermittently-operated 'strip-connecting equipment and a machine to which a continuously-moving supply of strip must be maintained, said apparatus including a horizon.- tally extending frame with beams extending lengthwise of said frame, a carriage with'wheels that run along the horizontal frame beams as a track, a roll journaled in the carriage and rotatable about asubstantially horizontal axis, an

end roll over which a-strip enters the frame, another end roll over which the strip leaves the frame after passing around the roll on the. carriage, other rolls under the end rolls including a roll about which strip moving horizontally froxl the connecting equipment turns upward to one of the and rolls, and another roll about which strip moving downward from the other end roll turns to a generally horizontal run to said ma chine, a winch at the end of the. frame, a cable connected with the carriage and wrapped around the winch for pulling the carriage along the hori= zontal track in a direction away from the end rolls to increase the length of loop within the frame, a torque motor connected with the winch for maintaining a constant tension on the cable to the carriage, adjustable means for trolling the torque developed by the motor.

3. Apparatus for accumulating a loop in a corn tinuous strip between two substar alined, generally horizontal runs of the strip the use of a minimum of space at the level said horizontal runs, said apparatus lower rolls around which upwardly and wwdly extending runs of the strip turn ill and to said horizontal runs, upper rolls at vated level above said lower rolls and arou: which the upwardly and downwardly exte.v runs turn to and from a horizontally exterior loop, a horizontal frame located at an elevated level spaced above one of said horizontal 'uns strip, a carriage movable along the frame toward and from said upper rolls, a roller on the car riage around which the strip passes with a re verse bend to form the horizontally extending loop, and means urging the carriage along the horizontal frame toward the end of the frame away from theupper rolls to accumulate a longer length of strip. 4:. Apparatus for accumulating and controlling a loop, of strip material that is supplied intermit= away from the rolls at the end of the frame to I tently along a horizontal run from a strip-connecting machine located at a floor level, and that is fed forward continuously along another horizontal run to a strip-working machine located at floor level'and in substantial alinement with the horizontal run of strip from the strip-connecting machine, said apparatus including a long horizontal frame supported at an elevated level above one or said machines and vertically spaced from the machine, but extending lengthwise generally parallel to the direction of travel of the horizontal runs of strip, a carriage that 'moves along the frame, a roller supported by the carriage for rotation about a horizontal axis and around which the strip passes to form a loop, a'

roll around which the horizontal run of strip from the strip-connecting machine turns to an upwardly extending run, an adjacent roll around which a downwardly extending run of the strip turns to form the horizontal run to the stripworking machine, a roll at one end ofv the frame around which the upwardly extending run passes to the carriage-supported roller, another roll at the end of the frame around which strip that has looped around said carriage-supported roller passes to the downwardly-extending run, and means for moving the carriage along the frame turns to a horizontal run at an elevated level, a

roller around which the strip from the second roll passes with a reverse bend to form a loop, a carriage on which th roller is supported for rotation about-an axis parallel to the axis of the first and second roll, horizontally extending guides along which said carriage is movable to displace the roller horizontally at said elevated level toward and from said second roll, a third roll at the same end of the guides as the second roll and around which the run of strip from the carriage-supported roller turns downward,

and a fourth roller below the third roller for.

turning the downwardly extendnig strip horizontally-to the continuously-moving run. J. L. ANDERSON. 

